Need tonearm advice for Clearaudio Innovation Wood


I bought a Clearaudio Innovation Wood Compact which came with the armboard for the Clearaudio Satisfy tonearm but no arm.
I am reluctant to buy a uni-pivot arm because of the apparent need for constant set up and the chance of cartridge damage if/when I set it up incorrectly.
I can't spend a bundle on an arm/cart at this time and don't really know enough about it all to make the right choice. Uni-pivots sound like the best sounding nightmare out there, and maybe the bad might outweigh the good.
Ultimately I want two arms for 33/45s and a second for 78s.
I'm thinking $1000 or so for an arm and $500 for a cartridge.
What would work with the Clearaudio armboard?
I'm into blues, jazz, and world music mostly.


guitarslimjunior

Showing 2 responses by manitunc

The Audiomods is a bargain at its price and would work well with the Clearaudio. That being said, any of the Clearaudio arms would work well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a unipivot. some of the best arms out there are based on that principle and they are no harder to set up than any other arm.
Whether it is worth it or not is not something I can answer for you. It is worth it for me as it is extremely well built using the best bearings available and a micrometer VTA adjuster that allows easy, repeatable settings of VTA. Now,I dont change VTA once it is set for a particular cartridge, but having an easy way to do it makes it more likely that the VTA will be set properly. Plus, I like the fact that that Audiomod is the work of a single individual making the best product he can. I'm sure the Satisfy is a good tonearm, and will probably give you excellent service, but I think we are comparing apples and oranges. I see the Audiomods as more closely related to a Triplanar and the Satisfy more like a Rega 300 or Jelco. All good stuff, but not in the same class. Based on what cartridge you may chose, the Satisfy may be good enough, but the Audiomods can be adjusted for any cartridge through its mass loading inserts for the headshell. Its just a well thought out product.